Three Worlds Collide

Chapter One

I wake with a groan to the sound of my alarm going off, the sounds of birds chirping and the soft colors of the Colorado sunrise come in through my open bedroom window. The past few weeks have been hell for me, I was the only one living with my mother at the time of her death and had to handle pretty much everything, from trying to figure out how to pay off hospital bills and the funeral, this left me with having to miss a lot of school and it also meant I had to repeat my senior year of high school, yay me, I think to myself sarcastically. But today is supposed to be a good day as well. 

I had most of my stuff packed and ready to move to Hawkins, Indiana while other belongings were sold for me to move or put into storage. My cousin, Robin, made the suggestion of me moving in with her and my aunt and uncle so I wouldn’t be alone and be able to finish school. I am unsure about the school thing because I have never really had good experiences growing up, always being bullied for being different, for being simply me. But this is a fresh start, so I figure, why the hell not, maybe there are people in Hawkins that may accept me for me, I know Robin will.

I know the drive from Boulder to Hawkins is going to be a long one, but it will also give me time to think and figure out what the hell I am going to do from now on. Once everything I need is packed into the backseat of my car, I turn to look back at the house I grew up in, my mind replaying memories of my mother and I running around the house playing hide-and-seek to the day I found her unconscious on the doorstep a month ago. I try to hold in the tears as I climb into the driver seat, but they still fall when I take one last look before driving off.

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~A Few Days Later~

I take a deep breath once I see the city limits sign for Hawkins finally come into view, the last few days were long and I am finally more than happy to be where I need to be. It took me a little bit longer than it needed to because of the few stops I needed to make along the way, taking photos of landmarks my mother always wanted to take, but never got around to, so I did it for her. I catch a glimpse of the small town as I drive to Robin’s house, soft metal coming through the speakers of my car, my fingers and head bobbing softly to the rhythm.

But before I get to Robin’s I make a stop at the new Starcourt Mall to pick up a gift for her, to thank her for letting me move in with her and her parents. Finding a parking spot is hell as the new mall has only been open for a short while, so the hype is still fresh to people in town. I take a deep breath once I step out of my car, fixing my long skirt as I close the driver’s door behind me. I smirk slightly to myself when a few people give me side-eyed looks as I make my way through the front entrance of the mall. 

I know my look, my aesthetic always gives people pause, my long, black skirt stops slightly above my black combat boots, my black crop top sweater hugs around my chest and arms tightly. Then there are the few tattoos that litter the spanse of my back, others can see them peek out from the back of my crop top, but the rest of my clothing covers some more artwork. My mother allowed me to be friends with artists that loved to put their artwork on other people’s skin, something a lot of people frowned upon. But my mother always let me be who I am and allowed me to express myself as I saw fit. 

The multiple rings on my right hand clink together as I grip the strap of my bag tighter, I look around at the stores before my eyes fall upon an ice cream shop. Perfect, I think to myself, maybe Robin is working today, I say in my head. I had planned on surprising her when she got home, but this is better. “Hello, welcome to Scoops Ahoy, what can I get you today?”, I am greeted by a loud male voice as soon as I get to the counter. 

I have to do a double take as soon as I see him, his brown eyes shine happily as he smiles at me. By goodness he is absolutely adorable, I tell myself, “What’s the most popular flavor you got?”, I ask him while looking over the variety of flavors of ice cream they have. “Most people like the Rocky Road, but I really like the Mint Chocolate Chip.”, he states, his big smile never faltering. “I’ll take both.”, I finally say, before I can even dig into my bag to grab money to pay, the back door leading to the back flies open to reveal Robin.

“Y/n!”, she squeals happily upon seeing me, “Surprise!”, my smile grows bigger. We waste no time hugging one another tightly. “I got her covered Steve.”, she tells her coworker after pulling away from me, the young man nods while still looking at us confused. “Right, right. Steve, this is Y/n Buckley, my cousin. Y/n, this is Steve, my coworker.”, she introduces us. So the pretty boy is named Steve, I say to myself, what are you doing Y/n, I ask myself. You barely moved here and are already making googly eyes at the first guy you see, my inner thoughts make me stop for a moment.

“So you’re the cousin she keeps going on about?”, Steve teases slightly, his work smile turning into a friendly smile. “The one and only darling.”, I joke, the pair laugh softly before Robin pulls me to sit at a booth with her. “Sorry it took me a while to finally get here, I made a few stops along the way for Mom.”, I tell her once she is seated across the table from me. She gives me a soft smile while placing her hand over mine gently, “No worries Y/n, I figured you needed some time to think, and I know you enough to know you would get here when you got here.”, she assures me.

“So Steve, he’s cute.”, I finally say after a few moments of conversation, Robin rolls her eyes and chuckles softly. “What? Is there something wrong? Is he an asshole?”, I ask her, feeling suddenly worried I have found myself attracted to yet another young man who could break my heart. Robin shakes her head, “No, not at all, he is just an odd one.”, she states, I find myself looking up at him just in time for him to make eye contact with him, he gives me a smile before getting back to what he is doing.

I wipe my mouth with my napkin once I finish my ice cream, “I have to get back to work, I assume I’ll see you at home later tonight?”, Robin asks. I nod, “Yeah, I got to do a bit of shopping for a bit, but yes you will see me later.”, I tell her. She gives me one more hug before making her way back towards the front counter, I feel bold suddenly, “Bye, it was nice meeting you Steve.”, I say before leaving, I don’t take notice of the slight blush that crosses over the young man’s cheeks, but Robin does and chuckles softly.